View full sizeSubmitted PhotoTo Kill a Mockingbird will be presented at the Princess Theatre in Decatur on MondayDECATUR, AL -- A half-century later the Pulitzer Prize-winning book "To Kill a Mockingbird" is still relevant. That's actor Mikel MacDonald's thought about the classic novel's story of racial injustice written by Alabama's own Harper Lee.

MacDonald, 54, who plays Atticus Finch in the stage version of the book, hopes that people will one day see "Mockingbird" and think it's "as passé as 'Hair' the musical."

But America isn't there yet, he said.

On Monday, MacDonald will appear at the Princess Theatre as the lead character in "Mockingbird." The play, written by Christopher Sergel and presented by the Montana Repertory Theatre, re-creates Lee's famous story of a widowed father and attorney who stands against his fellow townspeople by defending a young black man falsely accused of raping a white woman.

MacDonald, a 31-year acting veteran living in Oregon, has played the iconic role of Finch on and off for more than 10 years. In that time, MacDonald, who first read the book in the late 1960s, has re-read Lee's tale more than 30 times.

"It touched me," MacDonald said about the book. "It's just a very special gift."

As an actor, MacDonald found that each time he re-reads "Mockingbird" there's something new he discovers about his character.

"It's a treasure trove," MacDonald said.

This tour, which MacDonald said has one of the strongest ensembles he's worked with, has been criss-crossing the country for more than a year. They've performed for audiences in Fort Collins, Colo.; Irving, Texas; and last week, 2,200 school kids in Lafayette, La.

MacDonald explained that at each stop, the play affects crowds in different ways. MacDonald compared the recent Southern crowds to a Baptist revival.

"People in the audience were responding out loud," MacDonald said.During some of the pivotal scenes, as Finch talks about racial injustice, folks yelled, "Right on, brother!"

Performing the play in Alabama, the setting of "Mockingbird," adds something special to the show, MacDonald said. And although reclusive author Harper Lee still lives in Monroeville in South Alabama, MacDonald doesn't expect to see her at one of his performances.

"I doubt she'll come out to the play," he said, "but I wish she would."